Autism is a developmental disorder which is growing in
numbers across the world

Boys are 5 times more likely to get autism than girls

1 in 66 children in India has autism

The World Autism Awareness Day 2016 is the eighth time the day is celebrated to spread awareness about the developmental disorder that has no medical diagnosis nor does it have a cure. Autism is a neurological disorder that affects a child within the first three years of its life.

World Autism Awareness Day 2016- Inclusion and Neurodiversity

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's message, "On this World Autism Awareness Day, I call for advancing the rights of individuals with autism and ensuring their full participation and inclusion as valued members of our diverse human family who can contribute to a future of dignity and opportunity for all."

The Theme for 2016: Inclusion and Neurodiversity

The delayed developmental stages and the aversion towards social interactions alienate people with autism. However, people with autism have unique skills that can enrich our society, which is the focus of
this year's awareness campaigns: to actively include people with autism in the society and to recognise the diversity in neurological development.

‘Every autistic child has untapped skills to be honed by an inclusive society.’

People
with autism should be assured of the following in order to lead a stigma-free life.

Quality Education: Special instructors may be required for people with autism.

Right to Jobs and Economic Independence: Self-reliance will boost confidence and aid in better acceptance within society.

Removal of Stigma: The stigma associated with autism should be removed to create a uniform platform for growth.

Autism is a Spectrum Disease

Autism is called a
spectrum disease as the symptoms associated with this disease can range
from being mild developmental delays to complex personality traits. A person
with autism does not develop skills age appropriately. For example, a child may
be 4 years of age, but may show language ability of a 2-year-old, and fine
motor skills of a 6-year-old.

Every
individual with autism is different with different intellectual abilities. Many
of them exhibit highly advanced intellectual abilities, which would deem the
whole society at a loss if they are discriminated against.

The
neurological condition leads to varying effects, which need to be understood to
effectively support and include the individual in the society.

Effects of Autism

Autism affects the
child's ability in the areas of

Communication

Cognition

Intuition

Imagination

Socialization

Interaction with
people

Autistic children may
seem perfectly happy playing alone with their toys, but
may turn extremely agitated amongst company, wrecking furniture or moving away
into isolation. They show an inbuilt inhibition towards communication and hate
social interactions.

The
International Clinical Epidemiology Network Trust found these following
statistics associated with India:

More than 10
million children affected in India

Between 1 to 1.5
percent autistic children are between the ages 2 to 9 in India

The prevalence of
autism in India is 1 in 66

Causes of Autism

Genetic Factors: Autism generally runs in the family with brothers or sisters affected. Though the cause of autism has been linked to genes, the exact gene responsible for autism hasn't yet been identified.

Environmental Triggers: Apart from genetic factors, people with inherited faulty genes when exposed to certain environmental triggers could develop autism. The environmental triggers include premature birth, exposure to alcohol or medication like sodium valproate during pregnancy.

Brain scans of
children with autism have shown a change in the structure of the brain when
compared with controls.

Health Conditions Associated with Autism

Infantile Spasms -These are seizures that occur during the first year of a child's life

Down Syndrome - This condition is caused due to an additional copy of chromosome 21 and is associated with characteristic physical features and learning disability

Fragile X Syndrome

Neurofibromatosis (tumors on the nerve tissue)

Muscular Dystrophy

Rett Syndrome

Congenital Rubella Syndrome

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Visual Impairment

Signs of Autism

Autism is difficult to
detect early on in life, but these signs are generally used to recognize developmental
delays.

Turn the Lights
Blue

This World Autism Awareness Day 2016, people all over the world are requested to turn their lights blue to bring awareness to this developmental disorder. When people realize that children with autism react in a specific way as a result of symptoms of the condition, they will be more patient and empathetic towards the children. Managing autism is about sharpening skill areas that the child has a natural inclination towards.

In India, there has been
concerted efforts to bring greater awareness towards this condition with a movie
like 'Taare Zameen Par' highlighting the plight of these children but bringing to the
fore their competitive intellectual ability.

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